Reflections on the Role of Amenity in the Evolution of the Urban Field

It is presently well accepted that most of the developed world is transforming into a post industrial society. And, in response, settlement structure is likewise adjusting to this new reality. The new spatial structure is characterised by extended fields interaction between rural and urban communities, and the environments separating these communities. Frequent and intense interaction between cities and these areas by commuters, tourists, retirees and exurbanites has given new content and indeed meaning to the urban field, aptly named the “basic territorial unit of post industrial society”. Within the urban field, former agricultural areas and rural service centres have become increasingly dependent on urbanites for their economic viability, providing amenity environments for people seeking sojourn from the city.In this paper I present some ideas on the nature of the amenity environment, implicating it as an important factor in the development of the urban field. Amenity environments are seen to be pursued by exurbanites, recreationists, tourists and retirees, and, when considered as a high order economic commodity, can be linked through central place theory to the establishment of low order goods upon which the economic survival of many small communities depends. Amenity is also conceptualised as a three part model based on the motivations of those people using the urban field.